Sherman laid his hand on Kari’s shoulder and gave her a half-hug, and soon each of the gathered companions departed to go get some rest as ordered.
Lord Black’s ebon tower was quiet in the deepening night. Only the marshal’s booted footsteps as they climbed the stairs broke the silence. Kari half-expected to be led to a different room this time, but Marshal Saracht led her to the top-most floor. He knocked on the door and the earl called for him to enter.
What’s he doing in his study this late? Kari wondered. Maybe he’s meeting with Lord Garant? That would be helpful; I need to let Markus know what we’ve found.
The marshal opened the door but was dismissed after Kari entered. He closed the door behind her, and Kari was disappointed to find Kaelin Black was alone. The earl gestured toward one of the chairs before his desk, and Kari wondered what was occupying his time. It was possible he didn’t sleep most nights, since half-guardians could go extended periods without food, water, or sleep. And that might explain his demeanor, his short temper, and the look of fatigue that framed his otherwise handsome features. Then again, it was possible the situation here in his city was keeping him from sleeping…
Not sure I’ll be getting much rest myself.
Kaelin was smoking a cigar again, a habit Kari encountered rarely, but it had a pleasant enough fragrance and the earl refrained from blowing smoke toward her. The room was a bit chilly, but the earl looked relaxed now, sitting slightly askew in his high-backed chair. His white tunic had been replaced by a similar one but with no sleeves, and Kari could see he’d kept his body in great shape over the years. Being muscular was typical for a half-guardian, but Kaelin’s were long and toned rather than bulky like those of Kari’s in-laws. Around his neck was a woven silver chain; Kari hadn’t noticed it before.
Had BlackWing worn a chain like that? She couldn’t recall, and she certainly wasn’t going to make the mistake of asking Lord Black.
“What brings you here?” he asked. His tone lacked the malice from when she’d first arrived in the city, and in fact made it seem like he was speaking to an old friend.
“I was hoping Lord Garant would be with you,” Kari answered. “Since he’s in the city, he may be able to help with our investigation.”
Black shook his head. “He was here earlier, but he never stays past the ninth hour,” he said. “Why don’t you tell me what you’ve found thus far? I understand there was an incident at the graveyard, and two more of my guards have been killed, but the tales I’ve heard sound far-fetched, to be honest.”
“Well, we encountered Emma in the graveyard…,” Kari began.
“Emma? Is that the name of this succubus?” Black interrupted.
Kari had to stifle the urge to laugh at herself. She’d treated Black as if he was behind everything and had assumed he’d know everything because of it. But if she’d met BlackWing in DarkWind, then Kaelin Black wouldn’t even know Emma’s name.
She sighed. “No. Emma is a mallasti—one of the hyena demons, as you may know them,” she said, and Black nodded. “She’s been involved in a number of plots to invade Citaria, so needless to say, her presence here is alarming. On the other hand, we think Emma is who the succubus is after, and the murders are part of a ritual for the succubus to strengthen herself.”
“Why my city? Have you any indication of why she chose this city for her ritual?”
“Nothing aside from the Black Dragon Society having power here; BlackWing is a major player in this plan,” Kari answered. Black rose and circled his desk, and he sat on its front edge and awaited further explanation. At this distance, Kari could smell him even over the scent of the cigar. He smelled good despite smoking, though Kari wondered why that stood out so prominently.
“I’m not sure I’m going to do a good job explaining all this, but I’ll tell you what we know, and what we suspect,” she said. “The succubus is called Turillia. We believe she’s been sent here to kill Emma, because Emma was involved in foiling several plots by the demon king Sekassus the Calculating. Emma is an extremely powerful sorceress, though, so we think Turillia has been using these seemingly random murders to feed BlackWing…”
The earl balked. “Feed BlackWing? What does that mean?”
“BlackWing was possessed by a shadow demon,” Kari said, and Black made no effort to mask his shock. “We killed him, but the demon lives; where it will go now, I don’t know.”
The earl jumped to his feet. “You killed BlackWing?! Where? Where’s his body? I want to see this for myself.”
“There was no body. From what I was told, his body crumbled to dust when the shadow demon left him,” Kari said. She held her hand up to stave off further interruptions. “As I was saying, we think the murders were making the demon stronger, and Turillia was drawing power from him by… well, whatever tickled their fancy, I suppose. She seemed to be trying to make herself strong enough to face Emma, but based on the fight in the cemetery, it seems she’s still not anywhere near strong enough.”
Black sat back down on the edge of the desk, and Kari gave him a minute to take in everything she’d told him. He rose again and paced as he turned the thoughts over in his mind, and then he walked to the wide window at the back of his study and looked out over the city. He folded his hands behind his back, and his gaze swept side to side
After a couple of minutes, he turned back to Kari. “So, why is Emma here?”
What do I tell him? she wondered. She’d assumed Emma was here to avenge the incident on Tsalbrin, but Emma had the opportunity to kill Kari in the graveyard yet didn’t. Perhaps Erik had been right when they discussed the issue on Talsbrin; maybe Kari was, in fact, Salvation’s Dawn. Was it possible Emma was keeping an eye on her to protect her investment, as it were? The reckless lightning strike left room for doubt, but she could’ve killed Kari and chose not to; there was something else Kari was missing.
All that said, Kari wasn’t sure sharing any of those details with Kaelin Black was a good idea. He may have changed his attitude toward her, and she may have crossed him off her list of suspects, but giving him too much information could put him in danger. He didn’t seem like the type of earl to sit back and let others do all the dirty work when he knew who his enemies were.
She wasn’t comfortable with it, but she knew what she had to do. “I helped stop one of her plots a few years ago, and I think she wants revenge,” she lied, keeping up her poker face. She was lying, not merely deceiving him, but she had a nagging feeling that telling him the truth would do more harm than good. If he knew Kari was Salvation’s Dawn, he might try to use such knowledge to his advantage, which would put her in danger, directly or indirectly. There was no telling what the nobles’ or the general population’s reaction would be to discovering Salvation’s Dawn, but there was no doubt what the demons’ reaction would be…
“So, what are your plans from here, then?” Black asked. “Is Emma too strong for you to deal with? And why didn’t she kill you at the cemetery?”
“I think she’s more worried about Turillia,” Kari said half-truthfully. “Emma seemed to want to get out of the way and let Turillia and me fight, so one or both of us would end up dead. But then Turillia left, hoping the werewolves would kill me and my companion.”